Mother Nature
by suzie2b
Summary: Is Mother Nature out to get Tully?


**Disclaimer:** _ **The Rat Patrol**_ **is not my property. They come out to play sometimes, then I send them home.**

 **Mother Nature**

 **By Suzie2b**

 **The Rat Patrol had been out on patrol all morning. When they rolled into Samawah, Troy decided to stop for a much needed break and to see how Sister Kathryn was doing at the orphanage.**

 **As the jeeps stopped outside the main building, children of all sizes and ages ran to greet them. They swarmed around the jeeps and climbed inside. Hitch and Tully ended up with small boys on their laps pretending to drive. Laughing, happy children always lifted the four soldiers' spirits, no matter how tired they were.**

 **Tully reached into the back of the jeep and brought out a bag of hard candy. He handed the bag to one of the older girls and said, "Шаре." The Arabic word for "share."**

 **The girl grinned happily. She held up the bag and shouted, "Цанды!"**

 **The littlest ones squealed with delight, as the rest giggled and laughed, following the girl away from the jeeps to get their share of candy.**

 **Troy and Moffitt had managed to get out of the jeeps before they were swarmed and were standing with Sister Kathryn just outside the door.**

 **Troy smiled. "Good afternoon, sister. Thought we'd stop by and see how things are going."**

 **Kathryn, a Catholic sister in her fifties out of Baltimore, Maryland, grinned happily. "Oh, my dear sergeant! Things are going quite well. We have a roof over our heads and food for our table."**

 **Moffitt smiled as he looked out at the brood of twenty-five children. "Appears you've lost a few."**

" **Ah, yes. We were lucky enough to be able to locate relatives of five of the kids over the past few weeks. It's always good to be able to place them with family."**

 **Hitch and Tully were out of the jeeps collecting canteens and jerry cans to fill at the well.**

 **Tully felt a tug on his belt and looked down to see a little boy of no more than ten years of age grinning up at him with a mouthful of candy and a baseball in his hands. He smiled and set the canteens aside before he picked the little guy up. Tully took the ball and looked at it, then back at the boy. "Want to play, huh?" The boy nodded vigorously. Tully turned in the other private's direction. "Hey, Hitch!" As he looked up, Tully tossed the baseball to him. "How 'bout a game?"**

 **Hitch caught the ball easily and grinned. "You're on! Let's go!"**

 **The children split into two teams. Bases were quickly set out—wooden barrel lids made up home plate and first base, while pieces of fire wood became second and third. A heavy stick was used as a bat. Rock-paper-scissors by Hitch and Tully—best two out of three—decided which team was up first.**

 **Hitch was persuaded by his team to be the first at bat.**

 **Tully pitched underhand. Hitch let it go by. A teenage girl's voice behind him called, "Стрике one!"**

 **Hitch turned and looked at her. "That was outside!"**

 **She giggled and repeated, "Стрике one."**

 **The second ball was hit and went high into the air. Hitch rounded first as the ball started down. It hit the sand and three kids jumped on it, each insisting it was theirs to throw. Hitch stopped at second base to laugh and watch Tully break up the slight disagreement, grinning as he did so.**

 **#####################**

 **Troy, Moffitt, and Sister Kathryn watched the game from the shade of the porch.**

 **Sister Kathryn clapped and cheered as Tully helped one of the smaller kids hit what turned into a home run. "Your men are very good with the children."**

 **Moffitt grinned, "Tully and Hitch aren't very far removed from that status."**

 **Troy smiled. "They don't get many chances like this."**

 **Kathryn sighed. "Unfortunately, your work must come first. But we always look forward to your visits. And luckily, everything is in fine repair at the moment." There was a sudden strong gust of wind and she held up her hand to block the blowing sand. "Well for heaven's sake. Where did that come from?"**

 **They heard several of the children scream. As they looked on, a dust devil was forming not too far from the baseball game. Hitch and Tully started herding the kids towards the main building as the whirling sand grew and headed in their direction.**

 **Kathryn gasped and encouraged the children to run. She counted each as they ran passed to go inside. "1, 2, 3 … hurry children! 4, 5, 6…"**

 **Troy and Moffitt grabbed a couple that had tripped over one another. Hitch and Tully each carried one of the younger kids.**

" **22, 23, 24…" Kathryn looked around. "Someone's missing!"**

 **They all looked out at the growing dust devil. Tully saw her first and leapt off the porch in that direction.**

 **Kathryn saw the little girl fall and cried, "Jenna! No!"**

 **She started forward, and Troy held her back. "Let's get inside. Tully will take care of her."**

 **#####################**

 **Tully fought the wind as he ran towards the four-year-old girl. She was on the ground with her hands over her face, crying hysterically. Tully scooped her up and ran for cover inside a shed. He hunkered down in a corner, tucking Jenna close to his body to protect her. The moment the swirling sand and wind hit the building it seemed to explode.**

 **Sister Kathryn gave instructions to the other sisters to take care of the children and make sure none were injured.**

 **Troy, Moffitt, and Hitch watched the huge dust devil hit and demolish the shed. And then it died. As if hitting that building had been its aim all along and now that it had done it, it was finished.**

 **Without a moment's hesitation, Troy, Moffitt, and Hitch were out the door, running to check on Tully and Jenna. Sister Kathryn wasn't far behind.**

 **Most of the shed was obliterated. Hitch started pulling at splintered boards. "Tully! Where are you?"**

 **Troy caught his arm. "Easy, Hitch! We need to take it slow. We don't know where they are and if they're hurt, we don't want to make things worse."**

 **Moffitt heard a sound. "Listen. Can you hear it?"**

 **They listened and heard a faint crying. Sister Kathryn gasped, "That's Jenna!"**

 **The people of Samawah were rushing out to help clear the debris and locate Tully and Jenna. Fifteen minutes later, following the crying child's voice, they uncovered Tully.**

 **Moffitt and Hitch moved their unconscious friend carefully. Underneath lay Jenna, unharmed but terrified. Moffitt picked her up and handed her off to the man next to him, who got her to Sister Kathryn.**

 **Tully was laying against Hitch. He felt the back of Tully's head and found a huge lump.**

 **Moffitt knelt down. "How is he?"**

 **Hitch replied. "He's got a heck of a bump on the back of his head. Most likely a concussion. Cuts and bruises on his back, but nothing that looks too bad."**

 **Tully groaned and opened his eyes … then closed them again. Moffitt tapped him on the cheek. "Come on, Tully. We know you're in there."**

 **Troy joined them. "How is he?"**

 **Tully slowly opened his unfocused eyes again and squinted at them. "Ow."**

 **Sister Kathryn returned and started giving orders. "Let's get him inside!" She spoke to the villagers in Arabic and several helped get Tully into the main building.**

 **#####################**

 **Tully was laying on a bed, on his stomach, without a shirt while Moffitt and Kathryn cleaned and bandaged the minor cuts on his back. Tully was beginning to recall what had happened and asked, "How's the little girl?"**

 **Kathryn smiled. "Not a mark on her thanks to you. How's your head?"**

" **Aches a bit, but I'm okay."**

 **Kathryn started for the door. "I'll get you some aspirin."**

 **Moffitt finished attending to Tully's back and heard the private sigh. "You still doing all right, Tully?"**

" **Ya know, sarge. This is the second time a building has fallen on me." Tully slowly sat up. "First a sandstorm … now that dang dust devil."**

 **Moffitt smiled. "They're called 'storms' and 'devils' for a reason. Unpredictable and nasty."**

" **We've seen plenty of dust devils out here, sarge, but never one like that. It was more like a tornado."**

" **Mother Nature works in strange ways, Tully."**

 **Tully rubbed the back of his head. "Frankly, I'm beginning to think Mother Nature has something against me."**


End file.
